PAPIAS AND JUSTIN MARTYR.
The fact of the early reception, by the churches, of Memoirs of Christ
deemed authentic, probable in itself without any proof, is conclusively
proved by writings and to which reference has been made, particularly
those of Papias and Justin Martyr.
Papias was bishop of Hierapolis, in Phrygia, in the first part of the
second century of the Christian era. Though of moderate capacity, and
entertaining extravagant ideas of the millennium, he was entirely honest,
and there is no reason to question his testimony as to what he was told
in respect to Matthew and Mark. He suffered martyrdom about A.D. 163.
From fragments of his writings found in Eusebius and in the works of
Irenæus, it appears that “John the Presbyter” gave him information in
respect to the First and Second Gospels.
There is a difference of opinion as to whether this John was John
the Apostle. Eusebius held that he was not, and says that in his day
(264-340) there were two tombs at Ephesus, both of which were called
John’s. The question of identity is not very material. Papias gives,
in explanation, that he imagined that “what was to be got from books”
concerning the Lord, was not as profitable to him “as what came from
the living and abiding voice.” For this reason, he says, “If, then, any
one who had attended on the elders came, I asked minutely after their
sayings, what Andrew or Peter said, or what was said by Philip, or by
Thomas, or by James, or by John, or by Matthew, or by any other of the
Lord’s disciples,[1] which things Aristion and the Presbyter John, the
disciples of the Lord, say.”
From this, it is plain there were then accredited “books” concerning
our Lord. And two of these books are identified by his statement of
what he was told by John the Presbyter, that “Mark, having become the
interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatever he remembered of
Peter’s instructions,” whom he accompanied (it was not, however, in exact
order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ), “and Matthew put
together the oracles in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted
them as best he could.” These extracts prove that the First and Second
Gospels were extant, not only when Papias wrote, and when the Presbyter
gave him the information, but also some time before. His informant, if
_not_ John the Apostle, must have been one who had seen the Apostles or
some of them, so that the testimony is very direct.
That Papias does not mention Luke’s Gospel, or John’s Gospel, proves
nothing except that he had no occasion to say anything about them, in
that connection. The Fourth Gospel may not have been _written_ at the
time of the interview with the Presbyter, for the Apostle John lived
until about the year 100, and he wrote his Gospel very late in life. It
is not quoted by Clement.
And as to the Third Gospel, the occasion for the writing of it is
distinctly stated by the author himself, who was well known. And so of
the Fourth Gospel; its authorship modestly but clearly appears upon its
face. We have mere fragments from Papias not exceeding two or three
hundred lines all told. In some of his five books (almost the whole of
which have been lost) there may have been references to both Luke and
John. Eusebius[2] states that Papias made use of testimonials from the
First Epistle of John; but as he does not say that Papias ascribed that
Epistle to John, his use of it only proves that it was extant when he
wrote. There is, however, a quotation in one of these fragments (v), “In
my Father’s house are many mansions,” which is literally as in John xiv.
2, and so, presumptively, was taken from it. It is an interesting fact
that the only _quotations_ other than this, by Papias (if those in this
fragment are indeed by him), are as in verses 25 to 28 of the 15th of
First Corinthians, a chapter which will be found to have great weight in
another part of this discussion.
Papias, therefore, probably[3] quotes the Fourth Gospel. But, without
such quotation, no inference could be drawn against Luke or John from
mere silence. Papias would still prove the First and Second Gospels,
leaving the Third and Fourth to stand upon the presumption in their favor
stated in our last chapter, and upon positive evidence from other sources.
[1] The quotations from Papias are from Vol. I, of the Ante-Nicene
Christian Library, translated by Rev. Alexander Roberts, D.D., and James
Donaldson, LL.D.; and so in respect to any of the Apostolic Fathers. The
editors say the words, “Which things, _etc._,” are usually translated,
“What Aristion and John say,” and that such translation is admissible,
but that they more naturally mean that John and Aristion, even at the
time of Justin’s writing, were telling him of the sayings of the Lord.
[2] Eusebius B. III., c. 39.
[3] The editors call it “mere guess-work” (Ante-Nicene Christian Library,
Vol. I., p. 444, note). Eusebius makes no mention of it, though his
silence is not conclusive against it.
The question is of sufficient importance to warrant the giving of the
entire passage from Irenæus in which the quotations appear. It is the
last of five short chapters of his work on Heresies. Certain passages
are printed in italics, which the reader is specially asked to consider:
“As the _presbyters_ say, then those who were deemed worthy of an abode
in heaven shall go there, others shall enjoy the delights of Paradise,
and others shall possess the splendor of the city, for everywhere the
Saviour will be seen, according as they shall be worthy who see Him. But
there is this distinction between the habitation of those who produce
an hundred-fold, and those who produce sixty-fold, and who produce
thirty-fold; for the first will be taken up into the heavens, the second
class will dwell in Paradise, and the last will inhabit the city; and
that on this account the Lord said, ‘In my Father’s house are many
mansions;’ for all things belong to God, who supplies all with a suitable
dwelling-place, even as His word says, that a share is given to all by
the Father, according as each one is or shall be worthy. And this is
the couch in which they shall recline who feast, being invited to the
wedding. _The Presbyters, the disciples of the Apostles_, say that this
is the gradation and arrangement of those who are saved, and that they
advance through steps of this nature; and that, moreover, they ascend
through the Spirit to the Son, and through the Son to the Father; and
that in due time the Son will yield up His work to the Father, even as it
is said by the apostle, ‘For He must reign till He hath put all enemies
under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’ For in
the times of the kingdom the just man who is on the earth shall forget to
die. But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that
He is excepted which did put all things under Him. And when all things
shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject
unto Him that put all things under Him, that the Son may be all in all.”
There being no question of the genuineness of this passage from Irenæus,
by whom were the quotations, found in it? Now while it is possible they
were by _Irenæus_, to illustrate what ‘the Presbyters, the disciples of
the Apostles,’ maintained, the more obvious and natural interpretation
is, that they were cited by those Presbyters themselves. This being so,
it is not of much consequence whether Irenæus had this information of
these views and citations, from Papias (from whom he had obtained like
information upon other subjects as to the sayings of the Presbyters),
or whether Irenæus had this information of their sayings from other
sources. In either event the quotations were made _either_ by Papias,
his contemporaries, or predecessors, “disciples of the Apostles.” And
of this opinion are Charteris (Canonicity, c. 17, of the Introduction),
and Routh, Tischendorf, Wescott, Dorner and Riggenback, as cited in
“Supernatural Religion” p. 604.